Inconsistency

[mattaius]

Hiya, I'm a new member and joined to help myself with bringing up my new Yorkie puppy. I've had him for about 2 weeks now, he's 10 weeks old, and my problem at the moment is that he is inconsistent in where he 'relieves' himself.
What I mean by this is I have newspaper down on the floor in the kitchen and at the front door and also in my bedroom. He stays in my bedroom at night and sleeps on his own bed next to mine on the floor, and usually when I wake up he has left his mess on the same bit of paper in the corner.
However, at times during the day, he will just pee/poo on the floor and not bother with the paper.

At first, I found his usual spot for pooing was at the front door, so I put paper down over there and this was fine for a good few days as he kept doing it there, but now I'm finding that he is just crapping all over the show, some times on the paper, some times not. I haven't ever made a fuss about it though or shouted at him for it because as I understand it, you're not supposed to shout about it.

Can anyone offer me some advice please? I really don't want to have any problems with him when he's older, I need to nip the problem in the pub immediately but as this is the first puppy I've had I could do with some outside experience and advice.

Also, he is obviously teething as he is constantly chewing anything in site. It's not such a big problem at the moment, because he's usually ripping up the newspaper I put down so it's not such a big deal, but he goes for my fingers an awful lot and I wonder if he will grow out of this.

Many thanks,

Matthew

[DvlshAngel985]

Hi and welcome to YT!

Is your new baby confined or is he given free roam? If you want him to have a little bit of freedom, yet be confined enough for him to learn where to relieve himself, you should consider an expen. You can have everything he needs in one place, food, bedding, toys, and a place to relieve himself. Food, bedding, and toys can be on one end, and the paper on the other. A puppy shouldn't have free roam until he/she earns it.

[YorTeddy]

Actually Matthew, I think you are supposed to shout about it. But only WHILE your baby is in the process of peeing or pooping. A very firm NO!! and then picking the pup up and taking it to the spot you want him/her to go is ideal. But when the deed is done, just forget about it. I also read online that dogs LOVE to see their masters clean up their mess. They get gratification out of it and will continue to do it so they can watch you clean it....so if you have to clean, put the pup somewhere that he can't see you while you clean.

But like the YTer above me says, a puppy who is not potty trained shouldn't get free roam ...not even of your bedroom! Have you tried the 7 day potty training guide? Personally, I haven't because the schedule is so strict it just won't work for me...and my puppies are 4 months old so they can hold it for a few hours, but a 10 week old puppy, not sure how long he can hold it for...I would suggest crate training him first...take him out every maybe hour and put him on the pee pad you lay down and giving him a chance to potty on there before he gets a chance to potty anywhere else. What I did learn is that when you leave water out for them to just drink throughout the day in their pen.....they pee alot!...and everywhere....so I usually designate times as to when I let my doggies drink water...and I take them outside 1 hr after that and I don't usually get accidents in my apartment.

My 4month old puppy is a chewer too, I can't leave ANYTHING in the expen with him except his toys. Good luck to you!

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by YorTeddy

Actually Matthew, I think you are supposed to shout about it. But only WHILE your baby is in the process of peeing or pooping. A very firm NO!! and then picking the pup up and taking it to the spot you want him/her to go is ideal. But when the deed is done, just forget about it. I also read online that dogs LOVE to see their masters clean up their mess. They get gratification out of it and will continue to do it so they can watch you clean it....so if you have to clean, put the pup somewhere that he can't see you while you clean.

Where did you read that?
And no, shouting isn't going to help. Saying a firm no will, but if you find yourself yelling at your puppy, that isn't going to help. Picking them up when you see them sniffing around, a sign that they need to potty, and taking them to the proper potty place will help them associate that pottying is only done in that one place.

[YorTeddy]

Originally Posted by DvlshAngel985

Where did you read that?

Not sure where it was anymore as I read it awhile back when I first got my two doggies. I researched a lot about a lot of things. But I'm sure it's in an article re: potty training

And when I said shouting....i meant shouting the "NO". Not...shouting as in yelling at the dog. Sorry for the confusion.

[DvlshAngel985]

Either way, it's not a great idea. I've never heard that dogs actually get enjoyment from us cleaning up after them. That just sounds odd to me. Kaji does know what a potty routine looks like, so he knows that after I clean up it will be playtime or he'll get a treat for being a good boy, so I've seen him get excited, but that was after a routine was established. That includes cleaning his Mr Peeper.

[YorTeddy]

Originally Posted by DvlshAngel985

That includes cleaning his Mr Peeper.

LOL Mr. Peeper. Eh, I guess each dog is different cus it works on my dogs! They don't pee and poo randomly anymore after I followed the advice on that article. Wish I could find it again...cus it doesn't just talk about the cleaning up it had so many other good tips.

[DvlshAngel985]

I agree, each dog is different. What worked for mine might not work for yours. They are individuals.

And that's what makes YT so great. We all did it differently, and we can all get ideas from each other.

[mattaius]

Thanks for the replies

I just have a living room and kitchen downstairs. When I'm home he will always follow me everywhere, he usually sits on the floor in the living room or plays about chewing his toy sausages, or my toes or whatever, but yeah he wanders round into the kitchen if he wants a drink of water. Normally after a meal I take him outside and occassionally he does his business on the grass, but most of the time it's difficult for me to judge when he's about to do his business - his main signal is sniffing around on the floor but he does this a lot anyway.

Now I understand that I'm definitely not supposed to let him have free reign and I've got to watch him constantly and not let him out of my sight.

One of his tricks at the moment is he's worked out how to climb alllll the way up the stairs but he's too scared to come back down them... Haha!!

[Maximo]

In addition to limiting your pup's freedom to roam as recommended above, be sure to praise profusely right after a good potty in the correct place. Do happy dances. Maybe give a small treat too. Most pups learn very quickly how to earn a potty reward.

Another thing you might consider is purchasing some special attractant spray for the newspaper. I use piddle pads that are infused with a scent to attract the dogs.

Be consistent with your potty setups: don't move them around or add more. In other words, have one setup in your daytime living area and one in the bedroom. More targets do not equal greater success potty training.

Keep in mind that your pup is still very young. You probably have a lot of potty training time ahead of you. The key is for you to be consistent with praise, supervision, and leadership.

I strongly disagree that any dog relishes watching his master clean up potty messes from incorrect potty habits.

Best wishes. Enjoy your pup!

[Roccosmommy]

Welcome to YT I would agree that a firm "NO" (IF caught in the act), then gently moving the pup to the desired location works really well...once he's a couple months older. At 10 weeks, they have such little control of their bladder/bowels that they're not planning ahead to get to where they need to be - they just go. Also, at such a young age, your baby should be confined at night (crate or ex-pen) not only for potty training, but for his own safety. This will also help immensely with the potty training, but just be prepared to get up a couple of times a night to take him out. Patience and consistency will be key. Good luck to you!

[kmchesney]

My 9-month old boy Yorkie is mostly good with potty training, but has had a few instances where he goes on the rug! It's so frustrating. When we're gone or if he has to go at night, he goes on the wee wee pad. We also take him out 2-3 times a day and he usually goes outside no problem.

I'm wondering if we need to get the rugs professionally cleaned and he's peeing on them b/c he smells his scent? Otherwise, I dont' know why he does unless it's a spite/attention thing.

Any ideas/comments appreciated!

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by kmchesney

My 9-month old boy Yorkie is mostly good with potty training, but has had a few instances where he goes on the rug! It's so frustrating. When we're gone or if he has to go at night, he goes on the wee wee pad. We also take him out 2-3 times a day and he usually goes outside no problem.

I'm wondering if we need to get the rugs professionally cleaned and he's peeing on them b/c he smells his scent? Otherwise, I dont' know why he does unless it's a spite/attention thing.

Any ideas/comments appreciated!

Enzyme cleaner works for this. Other cleaners might clean what we smell, but our pupsters have super strong noses. They smell what we can't. I use Natures Miracle and I get it at PetSmart. I buy it by the gallon so I always have it on hand.
This goes for both the OP and you, if your house smells like a giant potty, he's going to think your house IS a giant potty and go anywhere. Make sure the only place that smells like a potty is his potty area. Like Maximo said, use something to attract them to that one place. Another way to attract them is to place a little bit of their own pee on the new clean paper/piddle pad. I know, it sounds gross, but all you do is dab the new paper/piddle pad with the old.

[kmchesney]

I actually have Nature's Miracle, but is there a special kind for rugs or is the general kind safe to use on them? Thanks for your help!

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by kmchesney

I actually have Nature's Miracle, but is there a special kind for rugs or is the general kind safe to use on them? Thanks for your help!

Are you afraid it would stain? I've used the Nature's Miracle on my blue carpet, my black car seats, my own clothes (Kaji was a naughty one when I was working), the couches, the bed.... pretty much anything you can think of, I've used it there. It hasn't faded any of the colors, yet. I was especially scared to use it in the car. My car is my second baby and I would have shot myself in the foot if the seats were stained. I would have been out a lot of $$$ having those replaced.
Just spray, leave it in for 5 mins, and then soak it up. If it's a new oopsie, soak up as much as you can first, then spray, leave it for 5 mins, the soak it up.